Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1887-09-01
THE PENITENTARY.
A Comparison OF Republican and
Democratic Management.

Columbus Correspondents Delaware Herald.
One of the boasts of the Republica
press, started by those princes of polit
cal demagOgues, "Skin cane" Forake
and Murat Halstead' is that under tn
Republican administration the Obi
Penitentary is made self-supporting an
money made for the State, while unde
the Democratic administration that in
stitution was not only not self support
ing but was run at big loss to the State
A few cold facts is all that is needed /,
tell why that institution is now mad
barely self-sustaining, while under tn
last Democratic administration it haC
to be run at something of loss to tn,
State. When the Democrats tool
charge there in May, 1884, they not on
ly found the prison in a filthy anC
dilapidated condition, but they wer,
also handicapped by law abolishing
the contract system. The Republicans
had been in power for four years, an6
during all that time they only erected
one new building and permitted all the
Others to get out of repair and many Of
them to become badly dilapidated
Then during the time they were in DOW.
er had full and steady employment fol
all the convicts and were enabled by car.
rying on the prison under the contract
system to make money for the State.
The first thing the Democrats had to 90
to an enormous expense in erecting q
number of large and expensive build
ings, and repairing those which had be-
come dilapidated, where they could be,
and where they could not be repaired
thnxy had 70 ho H.
erected in their places. They not only
found the prison in that condition as
far as the buildings were concerned,
but they also found that the convicts,
clothing, bedding, cooking utensils,
dishes, etc., had to be purchased.
And, as we remarked before, they were
handicapped with a law which had
just been passed abolishing the con-
tract system, throwing hundreds of
convicts out of employment, because
just as soon as the contract expired
they were working under, they were
thrown out of employment and had to
be placed in the ''idle house." And
during the entire Democratic adminis-
tration of the Penitentiary they were
never less than from two hundred and
fifty to three hundred idle convicts with
no employment, and these idle convicts
not only had to be fed, clothed and
kept warm, but it also took larger
number of guards to watch them
while In idleness than it would il they
had steady employment. During the
Democratic administration there was
seldom less than sixteen hundred con-
victs in the Penitentiary, and often
more than that number.
There is another cold fact concern
ing the Democratic administration of
the Penitentiary which should not be
Whatever laws there were
in the statutes of Ohio governing or
that institution, they were
faithfully observed and strictly ad-
heard to. r".
When the Republicans took charge of
the Penitentiary in 1886 they found as
Warden Coffin said then. all of the
buildings in good repair, no new
buildings needed, plenty of good cloth
ing and bedding for convicts, good
utensils and dishes and plenty
of water to supply the institution,
which had been placed there by their
Democratic predecessors, who had
erected large water works to supply the
prison with all the water needed and
thereby save S., 900 year, the amount
hey boast they have saved over ex-
Denses during their first year, which
the Democrats had to pay to
,he Columbus Water Works each year
they were in charge.
Soon after the Republicans came into
power the number of convicts was re-
duced to fourteen hundred, and at
present it is less than that number. By
the law abolishing the con-
tract system and having convicts work
on the old contract plan they had
steady, renumerative and profitable
for every convict in the
Penitentiary, thereby needing less
guards, less clothing, less bedding, less
food, less fuel, and less wear and tear
On the institution. Ss5st,g5
During the time the Penitentiary was
IN the control of the Democrats moth |
ing whatever was received from the |
United States Government for the |
keeping of United States prisoners,
while during the time the Republicans |
have had charge of 1t some $1,000 has |
already been received from the United |
States prisoners there.
During the time the Republicans
nave had charge, since May, 1886, about
as many new buildings have
been erected as were erected by the
Democrats during the same time.
These are all cold facts. Is it any
wonder that the Democratic admins
ration with what they had to do and
what they had to purchase, could not
make the Penitentiary self-supporting?
And when it is remembered that the
found everything in zap
ole-pie order" and an abundance of
iood, clothing bedding and new water
works, receiving $1,000 from the United
States which the Democratic admins
ration did not, no idle convicts to
,lothe, feed and guard, have anything
% boast of in making the Penitentiary
and with the advan-
ages they have had, which the Demo-
rats had not, and the money they did
lot have to expend, have they not
hown extravaganza instead of economy
n running the Ohio Penitentiary?
Hay Fever.